Urban agriculture is part of a movement which is gaining attention in many cities across the world. Awareness of the potential benefits of urban agriculture is increasing, along with a desire to participate directly to this social experiment full of symbolic meanings.

Urban agriculture intersects with a variety of issues–public health, healthy food access, green space, air and water quality, economic development, and community engagement–each of which is politically contested and seen by advocates as critical to the ongoing sustainability and livability of our cities. Urban farming creates opportunities for city-dwellers to become more involved in issues of food provenance and food security. If adopted on a large scale, it could spur broader systemic changes to industrial food processes, and could shake up consumer attitudes.

Ecological concerns have become more mainstream, but do they benefit everybody? How do productive green spaces contribute to the city’s social, cultural, economic, and environmental well-being? Why do people community garden? How is community gardening being reshaped in a neoliberal context–has it lost its radical edge to become an instrument of neoliberal governmentality? How is urban agriculture represented in the media? What role does mapping play in planning and community involvement? What is the relationship between green practices, social imaginary and public policies?